Editorial December 27, 1982 Issue

What we can do about intolerance

DeWITT JOHN

There's something to cherish about Christmas that's deeper than words. Beyond the festivity and materialistic excitement, Christmas stands as a luminous symbol of unity and love. It's a time when Christians of every denomination can set aside differences and unite on common ground. They commemorate the coming of the Saviour and honor the spirit of peace and good will Jesus exemplified. Here is a message the world sorely needs throughout the year. This deeper meaning of Christmas prompts one to ask what we can do to dissolve bigotry and prejudice and the turmoil they stir up.

Religious conflicts have been at the root of some of the most barbarous and vicious struggles in history. Today one thinks of the Middle East, the troubles in Ireland, the spread of terrorism, and the violent fanaticism running through many parts of the Muslim and Christian worlds. One also thinks of the cruelties that bigotry engenders within families and communities. Humanity has not outgrown religious cleavages or the isolating and devastating effects they produce. Yet there is a great deal each of us can do to lessen these evils on the domestic scene and in the world at large.

One finds an original and perceptive insight into this subject in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, where Mary Baker Eddy writes, "Tyranny, intolerance, and bloodshed, wherever found, arise from the belief that the infinite is formed after the pattern of mortal personality, passion, and impulse."^{Science and Health, p. 94.} When we consider that "the infinite" really is universal Love, the penetrating truth of this observation becomes apparent. Is the god we bow down to a deity of mortal personality and passion? If so, what patterns of thought and conduct does such a concept encourage in us? Or do we know God to be universal Love, and strive to let this understanding govern our actions and our lives?